Abutilon ‘Nabob’

flowering maple
Upright shrub has wine-red lantern flowers and maple like foliage. Prune back in spring to keep it bushy, otherwise it gets lanky and needs support. Drought tolerant in some shade.
height 6–9ft
width 4–5ft
tolerates Cool Summers, Fog, Pots
water
needs		 Moderate – High
water
info		 Water this plant regularly, when the top inch or so of soil feels dry. If you establish this pattern over several years, then you can cut back to watering every week or two in dry weather. Use drippers, emitters, or a slow stream of water so that it doesn’t run off; allow the water to trickle all the way down through the deepest layers of soil. In a pot slowly water the entire surface until water comes out of the bottom of your pot.

There are places in Sunset Zone 17 with consistent fog drip that this plant thrives and even naturalizes in shady areas under trees. We have seen this in both San Francisco and Santa Cruz.
hardy
to		 18F
exposure Full Shade – Full Sun
indoor
outdoor		 Outdoor
drainage In Ground: Planting Mix, In Pots: Potting Soil, Tolerates Heavy Soil, Tolerates Sandy Soil
fertilizing Bloom
origin Hybrid, Chile
california
native		 No
sunset
zones		 5, 6, 8, 9, 14–24, H2

Sunset Zones Map

Outdoor Exposure Guide

OUTDOOR EXPOSURE GUIDE

Full Sun
Six or more hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.

Part Shade
Three to five hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.

Part Sun
One to two hours of sun beams directly landing on the plants leaves.

Full Shade
The plant is never fully lit by sun beams, but is in a bright spot or has dappled sunbeams playing over the leaves throughout the day.

Deep Shade
The plant never has dappled light on the leaves, and is in a place that feels dim, even on a nice sunny day.

SUNSET ZONES MAP

Growing Notes

Abutilons grow on thin wiry stems, best supported by growing up through other plants, staking or using trellises.
These plants take well to a hard pruning in spring, even to within a couple feet of the ground; this revitalizes the shrub, creating a more stable, bushier plant. Such pruning often negates the need for support.
Avoid windy locations.

Special Interest

The common name flowering maple refers to this plant’s palmate leaves, which resemble maples. They are in fact not related to maples, so much as they are to other mallows such as hibiscus.

More Info

While we don’t generally recommend abutilon for indoors, many reports indicate that this is a sturdy indoor plant for a bright room.